imagination

i·mag·i·na·tion  (-mj-nshn)

n.

1.

a. The formation of a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses.

b. The mental image so formed.

c. The ability or tendency to form such images.

2. The ability to confront and deal with reality by using the creative power of the mind; resourcefulness: handled the problems with great imagination.

3. A traditional or widely held belief or opinion.

4. Archaic

a. An unrealistic idea or notion; a fancy.

b. A plan or scheme.

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i·magi·nation·al adj.

Synonyms: imagination, fancy, fantasy
These nouns refer to the power of the mind to form images, especially of what is not present to the senses. Imagination is the most broadly applicable: "In the world of words, the imagination is one of the forces of nature" (Wallace Stevens).
Fancy especially suggests mental invention that is whimsical, capricious, or playful and that is characteristically well removed from reality: "All power of fancy over reason is a degree of insanity" (Samuel Johnson).
Fantasy is applied principally to elaborate or extravagant fancy as a product of the imagination given free rein: "The poet is in command of his fantasy, while it is exactly the mark of the neurotic that he is possessed by his fantasy" (Lionel Trilling).

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imagination [ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃən]

n

1. the faculty or action of producing ideas, esp mental images of what is not present or has not been experienced

2. mental creative ability

3. the ability to deal resourcefully with unexpected or unusual problems, circumstances, etc

4. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) (in romantic literary criticism, esp that of S. T. Coleridge) a creative act of perception that joins passive and active elements in thinking and imposes unity on the poetic material Compare fancy [9]

imaginational  adj

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	imagination - the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses; "popular imagination created a world of demons"; "imagination reveals what the world could be" imaginativeness, vision creative thinking, creativeness, creativity - the ability to create fictitious place, imaginary place, mythical place - a place that exists only in imagination; a place said to exist in fictional or religious writings fancy - a kind of imagination that was held by Coleridge to be more casual and superficial than true imagination fantasy, phantasy - imagination unrestricted by reality; "a schoolgirl fantasy" dreaming, dream - imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake; "he lives in a dream that has nothing to do with reality" imaginary being, imaginary creature - a creature of the imagination; a person that exists only in legends or myths or fiction
	2.	imagination - the ability to form mental images of things or events; "he could still hear her in his imagination" imagery, imaging, mental imagery representational process - any basic cognitive process in which some entity comes to stand for or represent something else mind's eye - the imaging of remembered or invented scenes; "I could see her clearly in my mind's eye" vision - a vivid mental image; "he had a vision of his own death" envisioning, picturing - visual imagery dream, dreaming - a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep; "I had a dream about you last night" chimaera, chimera - a grotesque product of the imagination evocation - imaginative re-creation make-believe, pretense, pretence - imaginative intellectual play
	3.	imagination - the ability to deal resourcefully with unusual problems; "a man of resource" resourcefulness, resource cleverness, ingeniousness, ingenuity, inventiveness - the power of creative imagination armory, armoury, inventory - a collection of resources; "he dipped into his intellectual armory to find an answer"

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imagination

noun

1. creativity, vision, invention, ingenuity, enterprise, insight, inspiration, wit, originality, inventiveness, resourcefulness He has a logical mind and a little imagination.

2. mind's eye, fancy Long before I went there, the place was alive in my imagination.

3. interest, attention, curiosity, fascination Italian football captured the imagination of the nation last season.

Quotations
"The Possible's slow fuse is lit"
"By the Imagination" [Emily Dickinson]
"People can die of mere imagination" [Geoffrey Chaucer The Miller's Tale]
"Nature uses imagination to lift her work of creation to even higher levels" [Luigi Pirandello Six Characters in Search of an Author]
"I have imagination, and nothing that is real is alien to me" [George Santayana Little Essays]
"Only in men's imagination does every truth find an effective and undeniable existence. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of art as of life" [Joseph Conrad A Personal Record]
"My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool; it gives me all the world and exiles me from it" [Ursula Le Guin Winged: the Creatures on My Mind]
"Imagination, the supreme delight of the immortal and the immature, should be limited. In order to enjoy life, we should not enjoy it too much" [Vladimir Nabokov Speak, Memory]

Translations

imagination [ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃən] N (= mental ability) → imaginación f; (= inventiveness) → imaginación f, inventiva f
it's all in your imagination → te lo estás imaginando, son imaginaciones tuyas
was it my imagination or did I see you there? → ¿me lo he imaginado o te vi allí de verdad?
to have a vivid imagination → tener una imaginación muy viva or despierta
she let her imagination run away with her → se dejó llevar por la imaginación
her story caught the popular imagination → su historia atrapó el interés popular
it doesn't take much imagination to realize what happened → no hace falta tener mucha imaginación para darse cuenta de lo que ocurrió
use your imagination → usa la imaginación

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imagination [ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃ^ən] n

(= ability to imagine) → imagination f
to have a vivid imagination → avoir une imagination fertile
to have little imagination → avoir peu d'imagination
a lack of imagination → un manque d'imagination
it's just your imagination → tu imagines des choses
to capture sb's imagination → frapper l'imagination de qn

(= mind) → imagination m
I can still see her in my imagination → Je la vois encore en imagination.

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imagination

n (creative) → Fantasie f, → Phantasie f, → Vorstellungskraft f, → Einbildungskraft f; (self-deceptive) → Einbildung f; to have (a lively or vivid) imagination → (eine lebhafte or rege) Fantasie haben; he has little imagination → er hat wenig Fantasie; use your imagination → lassen Sie Ihre Fantasie spielen; in order to encourage children to use their imagination(s) → um die Fantasie von Kindern anzuregen; to lack imagination → fantasielos or einfallslos sein; it’s just your imagination! → das bilden Sie sich (dat) → nur ein!; it’s all in your imagination → das ist alles Einbildung; to capture or catch somebody’s imagination → jdn in seinen Bann ziehen; it captures the imagination → es ist faszinierend; to stretch the imagination → große Vorstellungskraft erfordern

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imagination [ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃ/ən] n → immaginazione f; (inventiveness) → immaginazione, fantasia
it's all imagination! → sono tutte fantasie!
it's all in your imagination → è tutto frutto della tua immaginazione
to have a vivid imagination → avere una fervida fantasia or una viva immaginazione
she lets her imagination run away with her → si lascia trasportare dalla fantasia
use your imagination! → su, un po' di fantasia!

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imagination → خيال představivost fantasi Phantasie φαντασία imaginación mielikuvitus imagination mašta immaginazione 想像 상상 verbeelding fantasi wyobraźnia imaginação воображение fantasi จินตนาการ hayal trí tưởng tượng 想象力